The present disclosure relates generally to rail car test devices and more specifically to a portable computerized single car test device (CSCTD).
The American Association of Railroads (AAR) has established standard S-486 for testing railroad car brake systems for a single stand alone car. Historically, the single car test device with a pressure source and meter and hand control is connected to the glad hand at one end of the car.
More recently computerized single car test devices have been developed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,509,727 and 5,808,909 are examples of CSCTD in the use which are connected to a 4-Port Test Adapter on the pipe bracket of a brake control valve by four pressure lines and perform the test using the four ports. The source of pressure is into the CSCTD and used to charge the brake pipe and the reservoirs. The four test ports are brake pipe, brake cylinder, auxiliary reservoir and emergency reservoir. These CSCTD, which conduct the Single Car Test through the adapter, require an external volume to simulate the Brake Pipe volume of the car under test.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,354 is an example of a CSCTD available from New York Air Brake Corporation wherein the source of pressure is provided by the CSCTD to the brake pipe at the glad hand and pressure measurements are made at the brake pipe and the brake cylinder using only two pressure lines. The CSCTD also controls the brake pipe to charge the reservoirs. This CSCTD conducts the Single Car Test from the end of the car, which allows the brake system to be tested as a whole without an external volume.
The present computerized single car test device is designed to incorporate the best practices of the previous CSCTDs. The single car test device is for a rail car brake system having a brake pipe with a connector, a brake cylinder, brake cylinder tap, a reservoir, a control valve connected to the brake pipe, the brake cylinder and the reservoir, and brake pipe and reservoir test ports on the control valve. The test device includes a housing; a source port, on the housing, to be connected to a source of pressurized air; a brake pipe port, on the housing, to be connected to the brake pipe connector; and valves, in the housing, selectively interconnecting the ports to each other and atmosphere to perform tests. A brake cylinder sensor is to be connected to the brake cylinder tap. A sensor module, remote from the housing, is to be mounted on the test ports on the control valve for determining pressure at the test ports. A controller is connected to the valves, the sensor module and the brake cylinder sensor and includes a program performing a plurality of component tests which form a single car test.
If the brake cylinder tap is a brake cylinder test port on the control valve; the brake cylinder sensor is in the sensor module and determines pressure at the brake cylinder test port. If the brake cylinder sensor is in the housing, the housing has a brake cylinder port to be connected to the brake cylinder tap. The brake cylinder sensor may be mounted to the brake cylinder tap and connected to the controller by one of wire and wirelessly. The brake cylinder tap may be on the brake cylinder or an empty load device.
If the brake system includes an auxiliary reservoir and an emergency reservoir and auxiliary and emergency reservoir test ports; the pressure module determines pressure at the auxiliary reservoir test port and the emergency reservoir test port. The sensor module may include an electropneumatic valve connected between the brake pipe and the reservoir ports when the sensor module is mounted to the test ports and connected to the controller to charge the reservoir from the brake pipe.
A single car test interface device, for a rail car brake system having brake cylinder, brake pipe, and reservoir test ports, includes a housing having brake cylinder, brake pipe and reservoir sensor ports to be mounted respectively to the brake cylinder, brake pipe, a reservoir and emergency reservoir test ports. Pressure sensors are connected to the sensor ports. An electropneumatic valve is connected between the brake pipe and the reservoir sensor port. A first outlet is connected to the pressure sensor for receiving a connector of a single car test device; and a second outlet is connected to the valves for receiving a connector of a single car test device.
The test ports may be on a control valve of the brake system. The first and second outlets may be a common outlet for receiving a single connector of the single car test device. If the brake system includes an auxiliary reservoir test port and an emergency reservoir test port, the housing includes an auxiliary reservoir sensor port and an emergency reservoir sensor port. Also, a pair of electropneumatic valves are each connected between the brake pipe and a respective reservoir sensor ports.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.